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Aug13

This is No Country for Old Men

Hey Guys & Dolls,

So sorry about the lapse in The Book Report……. It’s been way to long….. I did write a Spring report, but it got deleted and I finally got over the frustration of my battle with the computer! So here we go...

Last November was the coldest up in New England for years! and "camping out”, was not fun…. frozen waterlines, closed campgrounds, searching for propane and such made me decide to make a major change in my touring schedule. All my regular North East dates have been confirmed for October this year and we will be heading South after the House Concert in Erie PA. November, 2014,confirmations include, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Houston and Austin. Visit, www.RoyBookBinder.com for details.

Last January, at last., I finally, finished up writing the tunes for the new CD! By February, I gathered up a great crew of local musicians I have know for some time and we got to work with George Harris again engineering the recording in Largo, FL.

We had a great time rehearsing for a week or so and had a ball in the studio! Luckily my old Norwegian Pal, Eirik, Bergene happened to be in town for the first session and he played some dynamite harmonica on one great tune a few weeks before the others got in the studio. Frank Bowman, played clarinet, TBone Hamilton, standup bass and Glenn Evans who was featured on my POLK CITY RAMBLE, cd back quite a few years was the percussionist.

I did call “the Young & Happening” Floridian, Damon Fowler, who is a BLIND PIG RECORDING artist, and asked him what it would take to get him to put some lap steel on a few tunes…. he said, “how much do I have to pay you”…. His contribution was outstanding. I at last made the album I always have wanted to! Is it Paris in 1935 or Texas in 1938………

While all this was happening, Nancy, (PegLeg Records co-owner) , put in many long hours getting all our albums up on CD Baby and all related internet outlets as well as dealing with publishing and copyright details. As we like to say every month, guess who was PEGLEG RECORDS EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH ? ….. Nancy just makes it all so much easier for the rest of us! The day we were leaving for our 19th MERLEFEST, in the nick of time, thank goodness, 2000 copies of THE GOOD BOOK, arrived, just in time for the start of our annual tour!

Turning 70 and having just celebrated my 40th anniversary in “Show Business”, I hired a professional publicist for the first time, (Kari Estrin Management & Consulting) to promote the best CD I had ever recorded. Kari, who first booked me many years ago when she was at college in NJ, was enthusiastic about getting involved. By the Summer, we were climbing the radio internet charts. It was very cool to get weekly reports of where we were getting play and watching the CD climb. By August we were #3 on AIRPLY DIRECTS, Americana charts, #5 on their Blues Charts and on FOLKDJ.ORG charts, we were in the top 4 artists for July with 3 songs in the top 10……Needless to say Kari & I were delighted with the response to THE GOOD BOOK…..

THE GREATEST ACOUSTIC BLUES SHOW ON EARTH, on The Austin Stage at MERLEFEST, was again a great success ! This was the one of the best lineups we had ever had, including, RORY BLOCK, ELINORE ELLIS, MARY FLOWER, DEL REY AND FIONA BOYES…… wow!

During last Summer, we traded in our Roadtrek Bus, with 110,000 miles on it for a new 2013 Winnebago Sprinter….. With the end of season reduced price on the new van and an anxious customer hot to get in our old van, chomping at the bit, an unbelievable deal was struck! We have never been more satisfied and comfortable on the road!

The 2013 tour was great, a highlight being my 70th Birthday Show at Glen Elvig’s home in Minnesota! Just picture a Birthday Cake for 80 people! Glen had a huge room, with a stage, lights and an incredible sound man! If every show was that cool, I would definitely go pro l!!

So here we are in Salina Kansas, “camped out” at a Flying J Truck stop on our way East after an amazing May-June tour across the country…. New Orleans was great, with a gig at Chickie Wha Wha, co-sponsored by The Blues Society, and our first Texas gigs in some time were so good, we’re going back in Novemeber. Next was a super time at The Silver City Blues Festival, where the only “Acoustic Old Time Bluesman”, kicked butt and had a ball…looks like we will do a few shows in Southern New Mexico next year! Roots & Rhytm put me on at The Congress Hotel, where John Dillinger was captured so many years ago…. great venue, food and “Bus” parking for the performer…. “well, I’ll be dammed”…..

A return visit to RIDGECREST, CA, in the Mohave Desert was another highlight, getting to visit with our old pal Tex Whitson and his cronies and performing at The Historical Society of the Upper Mohave Desert, for a third time! Great folks and a great time. The venue was built back in the days of the WPA…..very cool….

MC Cabes in Santa Monica a regular stop for the last 15 tours out west, was another well attended show a “large time was had by all”. The new songs went over real well and as at all gigs, guitarists were amazed at my New ERA Signature model……which is an exact copy of the first Recording King, a guitar that GIBSON made for Montgomery Wards Department Stores, in 1930, which was a variation of their top of the line Nick Lucas Special…. (New Era just received their 8th order for The Roy Book Binder Recording Tone Special!)

More House Concerts up the coast, Santa Barbara being a highlight, another gig supported by a local Blues Society and presented by fine folks who hosted the show at their home. These House Concerts look to be the future of the the business…..

Winnemucca NV, a great little desert town is always worth a visit, The Martin Hotel has the best food in the state, the folks are friendly and lots of folks stop by for a show. AMTRAK stops by, right in front of The Martin. You could get on board in Chicago, get off in Winnemucca, get a room at The Martin, catch a show and hop on the train back to Chicago or continue on to SF the next day! You got to love this country!

Great House Concert in Kansas City, and 2 in Chicago…..These are the most rewarding gigs! I joined www.concertsinyourhome.com a network for host families and artists…. check it out…

Nancy flew home from Chicago as planned and is now on tour with “Her Girls”, visiting friends in The UK, The Jersey Channel Islands and Norway….. from what I hear, they are having a great time. I’m continuing the BIG FAT TOUR OF 2014, and doing ok.